1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems for the preparation of items to be mailed. More particularly, it relates to systems where the preparation for each item varies in accordance with selected values of pre-determined parameters.
Preparation of items to be mailed may include, but is not limited to, combinations of the following steps. The component elements of the item may be printed or otherwise prepared, appropriate elements comprising the item may be assembled, the assembled elements may be inserted into a carrier (e.g. an envelope), the carrier may be addressed (either before or after insertion of the elements), the appropriate zip code may be marked on the carrier in a machine readable code such as bar code, the proper postage amount for the item may be determined, and the item may be franked accordingly. Typically, high volume mailers have in the past, used systems for the preparation of items to be mailed which were based on a combination of electronic data processing operations and large inserter systems. Typically, the mailer's data processing operation would include systems for printing large batches of documents such as bills, bank statements, etc. on a periodic basis. These documents would generally be printed on conventional fan-fold computer printout paper and in addition to the human readable information intended for recipient would also include markings, referred to as "dash code" in the margins. The batch of documents would then be physically delivered to the mailroom for further preparation.
In the mailroom a "burster" would separate the fan-fold printout into discrete documents, generally referred to as "control documents", and feed these control documents to an inserter system. The burster also included a scanner which would read the dash code from the control documents and synchronously transmit this information to the inserter control system. The inserter control system would then use the information from the dash code to assemble selected inserts with the control documents and then insert the resulting assembly into an envelope. The envelope could then be transported through a conventional postage meter for franking. Such inserter systems are well known and are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,925; for: Insertion Machine With Postage Categorization; to: Adams; issued: Feb. 25, 1986; which is hereby incorporated by reference. (As used herein "dash code" refers to conventional dash code and further includes other coding formats such as bar code and alphanumeric information readable by OCR, which may be used to control inserters).
Systems which include additional steps of mail preparation are also known. For example, a bar code printer may be included in the system to print the appropriate zip code in bar code on each envelope after insertion. The data processing system would be programmed to print the control document in a pre-determined sequence according to zip code and would include in the dash code a zip code break to indicate when to change to the next zip code. Systems where the weight of each item is computed from an a priori knowledge of the weight of each insert and the envelopes, the appropriate postage amount determined from the weight, and the postage meter setting accordingly (or, more typically, one of a plurality of preset meters selected), are also known.
Such systems while useful and highly successful suffer from several disadvantages Because the control information is printed on each control document as dash code, any change in the mail preparation, such as a change in the combination of inserts, requires that the control documents be reprinted; typically, a long lead time EDP operation. Also in systems where zip code bar code is printed, because of the limitations of the dash code, the zip code information for each control document can not be included in full on the control document. In prior art systems control documents would be printed in zip code sequence, as described above, and loss of the document indicating the zip code break could result in all the following items being mismarked. A particular disadvantage of prior art systems is that they are unable to print address information on items to be mailed and have been forced to rely on techniques such as window envelopes for addressing. This is a great disadvantage to direct marketers because the bill-like look of a window envelope greatly reduced the chances that the recipient will open an item of direct mail.
Thus, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a mail preparation system having a more flexible means of control.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a mail preparation system with improved addressing capabilities.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a mail preparation system with improved capabilities for printing zip code bar code on items to be mailed.
It is still another object of the subject invention to provide a mail preparation system with the ability to print classification pointer codes on components of an item to be mailed which are intended to be returned to the mailer (e.g. payment stubs) to assist in processing of returned mail.
It is still another object of the subject invention to provide mail processing system with improved